221 



Then, too, the large contractor with his heavy machinery 

 travehng over the road while it is being built, will be able to 

 roll down a new road so that when completed, it will be as 

 compact and as good for travel and heavy hauling as an old road. 

 This has already been 'demonstrated under the provisions of the 

 Elweil law in Winona county where the first contracts were let 

 for practically $116,000. The contractors have demonstrated that 

 they can haul, with their up-to-date machiner3^ gravel and road 

 material for from ten cents to thirteen cents per yard per mile, 

 when the hauling from the same pits and under like conditions 

 costs from thirty-tive to fifty cents to haul with teams. 



The large contractor has the advantage of using his heavy 

 machinery 23^ hours out of 24 each day without crippling the 

 efficiency of his plant ; and where all of the material is handled 

 with steam shovels, and wide-tired wagons with self-dumps, it can 

 readily be seen it is easy to do this work for from one-third to 

 one-half the ordinary cost and yet be able to pay his men who 

 do the work large enough wages to satisfy them and to insure 

 their earnest and faithful cooperation in completing the work. 



TROCEnURE CNDER THE LAW. 



In proceeding under this law ; first enlist the cooperation of the 

 County Commission by petition or otherwise and make a prelimi- 

 nary survey which need not be expensive, by a competent en- 

 gineer and file this preliminary estimate of the cost of the im- 

 provement with the County Auditor, and a copy of the same 

 should be filed with the State Highway Commission. The County 

 Commissioners should then approve the road, rfterwards, the 

 Highway Conmiission approving same. 



The next step would be for the final survey of the road which 

 could be made by the State Engineer or by a competent engineer 

 whose work would meet with the approval of the Highway Com- 

 mission. 



After a proper hearing before the County Commissioners, and 

 a determination to build the road, viewers are appointed by the 

 County Commissioners to spread the assessment of one-quarter 

 of the cost of the road. These viewers are three in number and 

 must be men who are not in any financial way interested in the 

 construction of said road. The assessment may be spread in 

 the discretion of the viewers any distance which is proper and 

 right and where they think there is benefit. 



PLAN FOR NORTHERN MINNESOTA. 



In Northern INIinnesota, the general plan is to spread the assess- 

 ment three miles either side of the center of the road, and on a 

 good gravel road, costing $1,500 per mile, the assessment averages 



